


Across Millennia

by SpinachArtichokeDitz



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: F/M, One Shot, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpinachArtichokeDitz/pseuds/SpinachArtichokeDitz
Summary: Untold centuries of restless slumber, interspersed with moments of delirious consciousness. Echoing, sourceless voices that deprived him of conversation. Phantom touches, the distant memory of sensation. He was afforded meager glimpses.
Relationships: Frey/Leon (Rune Factory)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	Across Millennia

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a soulmates prompt challenge! Just a little one shot, and it also happens to be my 50th Leon/Frey chapter! 
> 
> (Also, holy crap, it's G-rated Leon/Frey... a huge milestone for me XD)

Untold centuries of restless slumber, interspersed with moments of delirious consciousness. Echoing, sourceless voices that deprived him of conversation. Phantom touches, the distant memory of sensation. He was afforded meager glimpses.

Closed eyelids shielded dormant cerulean orbs, coal lashes not once fluttering against bronzed, tepid cheeks. A straight nose that did not inhale, linked to paralyzed lungs that expelled no breath, was pointed skyward--toward the vibrant sun, the endless sky, the tranquil moon, the innumerable stars… their glory all but forgotten.

Wordless lips displayed a permanent, imperceptible frown, pliant and unparched. Beyond them, a mouth that did not thirst for water, nor desire to taste a morsel of food. A vacant stomach, bereft of nourishment, did not growl in protest. Supple skin withstood deterioration, stretched over strong bones and ropes of muscle that yet retained their vigor.

Beneath a broad, motionless chest, there existed a heart that had long ago ceased beating, for it lacked purpose. It had once supported the life of a body that was now essentially frozen, sealed away in the depths of an impenetrable tomb, exempt from the constraints of time. Eternity was limitless--it colored over blurred lines, wrote outside of indistinct margins, tested imaginary boundaries--and he was suspended within it.

Intermittently, during the brief moments when he was vaguely aware, he sensed a formidable presence. Although they inhabited the same vessel, they possessed individual souls, or at least that was his perception. He felt infringed upon, yet he was acceptant of the volatile energy that resonated within him. It was his only companion, perhaps even his defender.

He often shared his desperate thoughts as he drifted off into the void once again, using his final seconds of hazy awareness to project his will. Always, he pleaded for protection--not for himself, but for the runes he provided and the god that subsisted because of them. He prayed for peace of mind and for the capability to support her endlessly.

_...We must ensure that the spell remains intact… so that Venti continues to live…_

When his murky thoughts next surfaced, untold months or years later, they did so with a jolt--with such abruptness--that somewhere within the isolated depths of his mind, he felt surprised. The emotion was foreign to the extent that he doubted his interpretation of it. His existence was static and unchanging, devoid of _feeling_ in every sense of the word, and he thought he had already conquered this--the agonizing pointlessness of hoping, of allowing himself to dream.

He was returning to a meditative state when his companion soul winked out of existence.

An inhuman screech, shrill and ear-splitting, assaulted his senses… senses? His mind was reeling. His lungs burned. He gasped and struggled for air, and it _hurt_ \--like it had when he raced his big brother, so determined to win that he forgot to breathe; like it had when he treaded water for too long, exhausting himself, and his father had to yank him up by his hair. The air had tasted sweet, then--not bitter, like it did now.

Something clattered, thudded, shifted around him. Everything was shaking, including his body as it was inundated with adrenaline. His tomb should have been unbreachable. Sano and Uno would never grant passage, but it seemed someone had accessed his chamber and shattered the Earthmate’s ancient spell. His chest ached and he realized his heart was pounding against his ribs, enabling his pulse to race through his veins with an alarming quickness.

_Impossible… this can’t be! I won’t let Venti--!!_

His limbs remained paralyzed, preventing him from bracing himself, and he was unable to assess his surroundings because his eyes were sealed shut. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out in anger, frustration, grief. His voice shuddered and rasped, faltering. His stomach rolled over and churned with nausea. His own body was so unfamiliar to him that he wondered if it was, in fact, even actually his.

There was a sudden, tangible pulse of energy followed by a flash of white light. Its intensity penetrated his closed eyelids, probably harsh enough to blind him if his eyes were exposed. Vivid colors strobed across his vision, reminding him of how it felt to gaze directly at the horizon, and then there was a thunderous crash. In the same moment his mind registered that he was falling, he had already hit the floor. The unyielding surface stunned him on impact and he lost consciousness.

“Aarus!”

If not for his limbs tingling as his sense of touch was gradually restored, he would have determined the distant voice was a figment of his imagination. It was a woman’s voice, and although she had only shouted one word--an incantation, no doubt--he knew she was tenacious. A split second later, as his muddled thoughts organized themselves, it occurred to him that she was probably responsible for breaking the seal.

He focused on opening his eyes, anticipating resistance, but he was immediately overwhelmed by stark, pure white surroundings. He grimaced, blinking rapidly and managing to rub his face with uncoordinated hands. Having been sightless for an inestimable number of years, he could scarcely comprehend--emotionally or physically--that his vision was renewed.

“What is…? Who…?” His voice was still weak and unrecognizable as he forced his stiff body upward, maneuvering into a sitting position. He squinted and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, trying to identify the hazy figure that stood an indeterminable distance away. 

With every ounce of strength he could muster, he struggled to his unstable feet, balancing on wobbly legs. He felt lightheaded, dizzy, and then his blurry vision began to focus. The last sight he recalled was Maria’s face, wrought with devastation, and now… the first thing he glimpsed on this side of the millenia was a pair of effervescent green eyes. He couldn’t imagine that this petite slip of a woman was responsible for waking him up, and yet...

“I am… an Earthmate, Leon.” She spoke slowly, delicately, like she expected him to be fragile and liable to snap. And perhaps he was, especially after absorbing that particular piece of information. If she was an Earthmate, it was easier to believe that she was capable of this, but then why would she…?

He could merely stare at her with wide, dazed blue eyes. He detected no ill-will; on the contrary, her vibrant presence radiated comfort, like a soothing balm for his damaged psyche. His frantic heart was lulled into a steady rhythm, his trembling lungs no longer shuddered with every intake of breath, and now his mind resembled a placid lake instead of a treacherous river. He was certain he would have been swept up in the current and fallen over the waterfall, if not for her.

“Leon.” His name parted her lips more urgently this time, demanding his attention, and her eyebrows slanted pleadingly over tearful eyes. He met her troubled gaze and something akin to recognition sparked between them. “Will you tell Venti about what’s happened here? And tell her thank you… for being my friend. It was fun.”

“You...”

It was then that he noticed the glowing purple rune sphere at his feet, sparkling brilliantly alongside a mysterious ring. Before he could complete his sentence, a vast, whirling portal materialized behind him, engulfing him in a blink.

_...seem familiar._

Two years passed before he told her.

They were standing in the shadow of his tower, in which he would have continued slumbering--maybe perpetually--if not for her. The idea that he might have remained there, where the passage of time had no meaning, was difficult to comprehend.

Centuries had elapsed in an incoherent blur, and just as quickly, he could have slept away Frey’s birth, life, and death. He never would have witnessed the impossibly cute expression on her face, nor the endearing blush that stained her cheeks when he asked her to marry him. 

Those distressing thoughts led him to squeeze her even more tightly than he already was, and she squeaked in protest. He loosened his grip just enough to gaze down at her and press another lingering kiss to her lips, leaving her breathless and red-faced.

“I love you more than anyone else in the world. I’ve truly felt that way since the day I met you.”

“R-really? Since the day we met?”

“Yes. From the moment I saw your face, I felt like I already knew you.”

“I never told you because I thought you’d make fun of me, but--”

“I would’ve.”

“Leo!”

“Ha ha. Go on…”

“I knew from the moment I saw you, too. I think we’re soulmates.”

“Hmm… I like the sound of that.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh, I love them and I will never stop loving them! I hope y'all enjoyed. <3
> 
> “I love you more than anyone else in the world. I’ve truly felt that way since the day I met you" is part of Leon's in-game dialogue, so it got me thinking about the possibility of them being soulmates. Frey doesn't ask, and he never elaborates on, the fact that he said since the DAY they met! And I'm like... that's kind of a big deal, lol. So I had to expand on it.


End file.
